The Darlington Autograph Files are a selection of documents created by various historical figures between 1610 and 1914. It consists of documents, some related to one another through specific historical events, while others were collected by the Darlington family for their rarity. The Darlington family were nineteenth and early twentieth century collectors who had an interest in the colonial period, French and Indian War, Revolutionary War, Whiskey Rebellion, and westward expansion particularly in relation to western Pennsylvania. The documents include correspondence, receipts, wills, warrants, depositions, indentures, land surveys, and speeches, among other forms of documentation. Many of the items are from such notable individuals as Benjamin Franklin, Napoleon Bonaparte, William Penn, Robert Fulton, Robert R. Livingston, King George III, and Patrick Henry. Prominent citizens of the Pittsburgh area are also represented in the collection, with letters and other documents from Mary Croghan Schenley, James O’Hara, William Wilkins, and Richard Butler. The collection is arranged in alphabetical order. Digital reproductions of the collection are available electronically by following the respective "Digitized Folder Contents" links within the finding aid.

The Darlington family lived in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from the late eighteenth through the early nineteenth centuries. William M. Darlington and his wife, Mary Carson O'Hara Darlington, collected thousands of books and manuscripts documenting the frontier history of western Pennsylvania. The collection includes financial, personal and legal papers, and documentation of collecting activities and ephemera related to William M. Darlington and his family. Formats of materials include ledger books, research notes, manuscripts, personal diaries, photographic prints and negatives, letters, and artwork. Digital reproductions of the collection are available electronically by following the respective "Digitized Folder Contents" links within the finding aid.

This collection contains an original French and Indian War era letter written by Robert Stobo to Colonel Innes, who were officers in the British Army. Stobo writes in captivity from Fort Duquesne, describing French negotiations with the Shawnee [Shanoe] Indians. On the reverse of the letter is a map of Fort Duquesne and its environs. The collection also contains a manuscript copy of the 1754 letter, and transcriptions of the letter. Digital reproductions of the collection are available electronically by following the respective "Digitized Folder Contents" links within the finding aid.